FDA authorizes at-home COVID test by Siemens Healthineers

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted an emergency use authorization to an at-home COVID-19 test made by German company Siemens Healthineers.

The highly contagious Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants are causing a surge in new cases across the United States, and several retailers, including CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart are limiting the number of at-home testing kits customers can purchase. The Siemens tests are expected to become available in January, and the company said its product can be used by children 2 and up as long as an adult collects the sample.

The Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday the Biden administration wants to get tens of millions of new tests into the U.S. every month, with the goal of distributing them for free to U.S. households.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up